Grid costs no barrier to EU solar expansion, says report

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The cost of grid connections should not be an obstacle to large-scale expansion of solar energy in Europe, according to a new report developed by Imperial College London.

The report for the European PV Parity project investigated the impact of 480GW of PV connecting to the grid Europe by 2030 across 11 key markets.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The authors found that that connection to the grid was not only technically feasible but also cheaper than anticipated.

The provision of back-up capacity was found to cost €14.5/MWh (US$19.6) in Northern Europe where solar is less able to displace fossil fuels.

The cost of reinforcing distribution networks was estimated at €9/MWh (US$12.2) by 2030.

The European PV Parity project is the combined effort of 11 partners including EDF, Imperial College and ENEL Green Power.

In the UK, engineering consultancy Wardell Armstrong plans to further reduce grid connection costs with an initiative to incorporate ground-mounted solar farms on the same sites as existing wind farms.

The solar wind service will enable developers to share the costs of connecting to the grid.

“It makes perfect commercial sense to think about adding solar generation to existing or proposed wind farms,” said Neil Sutherland, Wardell Armstrong regional director and specialist in renewables planning.

“Bolting on solar effectively takes advantage of a free grid connection. It can make good use of wasted capacity, improve the value of the site, increase the profitability of the project and enhance overall sustainability. It also makes solar viable right across the UK, including up to the north of Scotland,” claimed Armstrong.
 

Read Next

September 12, 2025
Colombian energy supplier Celsia is seeking more than US$1.2 billion in investment to build wind and solar generation projects in Peru. 
September 12, 2025
German trade association BSW-Solar has called the German government for a simplified, standardised and more digitalised grid access for solar PV and energy storage operators.
September 12, 2025
ACME Venus Urja has secured INR3.8 billion (US$43 million) to develop and construct a solar-plus-storage project in Barmer, Rajasthan.
Premium
September 12, 2025
Vote Solar's Sean Garren tells PV Tech Premium that Georgia Power's latest IRP is 'skewed so heavily towards fossil fuels'.
September 11, 2025
Founder Group has won a RM10 million (US$2.3 million) engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract for a 30MW solar plant in Malaysia.
September 11, 2025
German renewable energy developer ib vogt has signed a 70MW solar PV virtual power purchase agreement (vPPA) in Romania.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines